DUBAI: With a little over a week until the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off in Qatar, fans and marketers alike are eagerly looking forward to world football’s showpiece event, which is taking place in the Middle East for the first time.
Google, in partnership with research firm Euromonitor, conducted a study of people in 13 countries including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain, to help marketers better understand the attitudes and plans of those who will attend the event.
Researchers found that many of those who intend to travel to Qatar for the World Cup are interested in doing some shopping on the sidelines of the competition and will be on the lookout for a bargain. Because it was moved from its normal summer slot to winter on account of the climate in Qatar, this year’s World Cup coincides with major international holidays and shopping events such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, the US Thanksgiving celebrations and the run-up to Christmas.
“As the FIFA event coincides with a number of festive occasions, the majority of visitors are planning to set aside some time for Black Friday and other sale shopping, particularly browsing through fashion, beauty and electronics aisles,” Edita Bauzinske, a consulting manager at Euromonitor International, told Arab News.
The survey found 83 percent of respondents were interested in taking advantage of sales during the Black Friday season. About 86 percent of them said they research potential purchases in advance and 59 percent use search engines to do so.
Meanwhile, 55 percent of those polled said they plan to shop online, or to combine online and in-store shopping. A majority of those (77 percent) said they were interested in shopping for fashion items, while 64 percent will be looking at health and beauty products, and 54 percent at small consumer electronics.
With many consumers, globally, stating their intention to research purchases well in advance of travel, Google said that marketers have a unique opportunity to connect with a large audience searching for future purchases online.
Most people said there was some degree of flexibility in their budgets, according to the report.
“Despite having a set budget in mind, most travelers feel fine about going over budget while on holidays,” said Bauzinske.
The average global traveler’s budget is $3,500 but some are willing to shell out a little extra and there are differences based on point of origin. For example, 37 percent of European and 31 percent of Latin American travelers prefer to spend seven or more nights in a foreign country, while 49 percent of tourists from the Asia-Pacific region and 37 percent from North America tend to opt for a shorter stay of three to four nights.
In terms of buying tickets for their trip, 55 percent of respondents said they always buy tickets for flights, transport connections and events or attractions separately, while 36 percent said they sometimes buy items separately but sometimes choose package deals.
Although many of people from around the world who will travel to Qatar in the coming weeks are doing so specifically for the World Cup, many expressed an interest in exploring the wider country while there. Recent Google trends reveal that searches for “places to visit in Qatar” have increased by a factor of 1.3.
Researchers found that 66 percent of people surveyed are interested in tourist attractions when researching a destination, and that when they arrive, 65 percent usually visit one or two attractions each day.
Other countries are also on the radars for more than a third of people planning to travel to Qatar for the World Cup. The study found 38 percent would be willing to explore neighboring countries, with geographic proximity and affordability being key deciding factors.
A 50 percent increase in searches for “distance from UAE to Qatar” reinforces the finding that regional travel is under consideration by some World Cup visitors.
While many World Cup fans made their travel plans well ahead of time, as with any event there are those who will decide at the last minute that they do not want to miss out on being there in person.
This was illustrated by the fact that searches for “World Cup tickets” increased by 40 percent during the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Searches for “last-minute flights” increased by 35 percent, and “last-minute hotel” by 90 percent as the event’s finale got closer.
Analysis of such behavior offers marketers the chance to explore additional avenues for offering consumers last-minute deals through simple and action-driven communication, Google said.
“Consumers from across the globe are highly interested in FIFA World Cup 2022,” Bauzinske said.
“While planning trips, travelers engage in online research to learn about the destination but also to find the best deal for the accommodation and travel.”
